imported post
Desert Rat wrote:
The Condition System is a bit dated as it assumes a Colt/Browning gun or similar design.
Condition one=cocked, locked, round in chamber
Condition two=hammer down on loaded chamber
Condition three=chamber empty, magazine inserted
As you can see this system is difficult to use with a Glock or the Beretta M9 et al.
A little less specifically,it assumes a hammer-fired SAO or DA/SA pistol. Any DAO, whether it's LDA orSig-style DAO,and anystriker-fired design whether it's safe-action, DAO or SAO, doesn't really apply.
Condition Zero: Chamber hot, hammmer cocked, safety OFF. A single-action pull of the trigger will discharge the weapon. For any design without an external safety and hammer, this is SAFE, because nothing OTHER than a trigger pull will fire the weapon.
Condition 1: Chamber hot, hammer cocked, safety ON. This is only possible with an SAO or a TDA that does not decock when the safety is on. A pull of the trigger will not fire the weapon, however it is possible that the safety can be nudged off. All 1911s can carry Condition 1 (and are in fact designed for it), however many decocking safety TDA pistols prohibit this carry. Some TDAs like the USP have a two-way safety lever that will decock if moved beyond "safe", but can carry in Condition 1.
Condition 2: Chamber hot, hammer down. On a 1911, the safety cannot be engaged when the pistol is in this state, however many TDAs allow the safety to be engaged with the hammer down (and in the case of decocking safetymodels, the hammeris droppedwhen the safety is engaged). With the safety OFF and hammer down, a 1911 requires cocking the hammer in order to fire,while a TDA requires a double-action pull to discharge. This is the ONLY loaded condition for DAOs, and is the recommended carry for any hammer-fired double action design.
Condition 3: Chamber empty, mag inserted, hammer down andsafety usually off. A trigger pull will not discharge a round. However, racking the slide brings the weapon to Condition Zero. This is commonly called Israeli Carry as the IDF is trained to draw and rack very quickly. It provides an extra safeguard if the weapon is lost (you have a couple more seconds to act to retrieve your stolen pistol) and is intimidating (similar to the cha-chak of a pump action shotgun).
Condition 4: Gun unloaded; chamber empty, no mag, slide closed, hammer down. Readying the weapon requires inserting a loaded mag and racking the slide. This is "six seconds from safety" as required in Utah when carrying concealed without a permit (you are then assumed to be "transporting the weapon"). IMO it's five and a half seconds too long when carrying the weapon, but it is recommended when storing said weapon other than in a safe, as it is believed to be difficult for a small child (< 8y.o.) to rack a slide. It also allows separation of guns and ammo, making the gun little more than a club in the hands of someone who's found the gun but doesn't know where the ammo is.
. Thanks much everyone.
